


Flight

by wisia



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, MIT Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:56:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3923737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisia/pseuds/wisia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony always wanted to fly. It takes Rhodey to actually get there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flight

**Author's Note:**

> Based off this headcanon by sogetthis:
> 
> http://sogetthis.co.vu/post/118068722061/i-like-to-imagine-a-young-tony-asking-howard-to
> 
> Couldn’t resist and try a drabble. I did looked up some of the requirements and stuff briefly, but I might still be wrong on some things. Also, I know the original said “marines” but I just used “air force” for simplicity. I know there’s probably more stuff involved to fly on an aircraft carrier.

“You’re in the ROTC?” Tony asked, a little surprised. He knew his mouth had dropped open in a rather unflattering way, but he couldn’t care too much. Not when he didn’t know that Rhodey was in the ROTC. Rhodey shot him an amused look.

“Yeah. What do you think I’ve been doing?”

“I don’t know,” Tony answered honestly. It wasn’t like he followed Rhodey around even though he had been sorely tempted to do so. The guy was his first real friend in college, and Tony really didn’t want to scare him off by coming on too strong. He wasn’t a stalker.

“Going to class? Drinking?” Tony listed. All the usual things that normal people got up to. “Really? The ROTC?”

“Well,” Rhodey said, rather patiently as if chalking it up to just another thing about Tony Stark. “I am. In the ROTC.”

“That’s cool,” Tony said. He learned something new, and he filed that way in his head. “So, what are you? Army?”

At that, Rhodey grinned wide and bright. He leaned in close to Tony, almost conspiratorially.

“Air Force.”

And Tony’s jaw dropped again. Because that was way too cool and totally not fair. He asked Howard once if he could learn to fly, and it was a no. Flat and simple. Granted, Tony was five at the time, but when he asked again at fourteen it was still a no.

“Really?” Tony couldn’t helped it if he sounded a little too eager. The Air Force was amazing and god knows it’s tough to earn your wings. “Can you fly?”

“Not yet,” Rhodey said with a sigh. “We don’t get till it till later, you know. Have to learn all the other stuff before you can fly.”

Tony paused. That kind of sucked…but, “Well, you’ll get there eventually.”

“Yeah,” Rhodey said, and that was the end of that. Till Tony actually saw Rhodey fly in action because Rhodey was finally allowed to fly. Tony couldn’t resist going to the air field to watch Rhodey’s training whenever he had time to spare (or not. He ditched sometimes). The sky was blue and wonderful, and Tony wished he could be there right next to Rhodey. It was little bit of a torture to be surrounded by all the means to fly and not actually do it.

“Here again?” Rhodey asked when he climbed out of the plane and took his helmet off. Tony snickered at his helmet hair. Rhodey tried to smooth it out, but it didn’t really work. Tony bet it would have looked pretty good if afros were allowed in military regulations.

“What else can I say?” Tony shrugged. He snagged Rhodey’s helmet and immediately popped it over his own head. It was a bit big on him though. “You need someone to watch you.”

“I think it’s the other way around,” Rhodey said dryly. He easily took his helmet back and rapped Tony on his head gently with it. “Did you eat yet?”

“Um…”

“Tony.” Rhodey put a hand on Tony’s back, guiding him to the lockers. “Let me get out of this, and we’ll grab some food.”

“Burgers?” Tony asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” Rhodey said. “Burgers.”

“With fries,” Tony continued. “Lots of fries.”

Rhodey laughed. “Right.”

Later, when they were sitting down with said fries and burgers, Rhodey took a long swallow of his milkshake before looking at Tony.

“Hey, Tony?”

“What?” Tony popped a fry into his mouth, still hot and so deliciously good.

“Do you want to fly?”

“Huh?” Tony froze, another fry on the way to his mouth suspended.

“Do you want to fly?” Rhodey repeated more slowly and firmly. Tony swallowed hard. He put the fry into his mouth, chewed and—

“Why?” Tony asked, trying to be casual. His entire body was lined with tension because that would be great. Cool. If Rhodey was really serious.

“Well,” Rhodey said. “You’re always at the air field and tagging along with me to my classes. And I know you stole my aviation books to read, don’t lie. I caught you.”

“Oh,” Tony said. “Maybe.”

His heart hammered in his chest, hard and loud.

“You’re offering?” Tony continued. Rhodey opened his mouth and closed it. He looked kind of stern, and Tony thought maybe he was wrong. “It’s cool, if you aren’t. I mean, it’s just, flying. I know I’m not the best person to fly. Don’t have the head for it. Howard said I’m a little too—you know.”

He made a gesture to indicate exactly what Howard thought about Tony wanting to fly. He babbled on. “He thinks I should stick to weapons, and flying isn’t—well, it’s not necessary.”

“Whoa,” Rhodey said, putting his hands up. “Slow down, Tones, before you hurt yourself.”

Tony snapped his mouth closed automatically.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just—“

“You want to learn to fly, right?” Rhodey said with a nod of his head. He was smiling, and Tony really hoped that was an offer.

“Can you teach me?” Tony asked slowly, hesitantly. “I really want to learn to fly.”

“I’m not an instructor, Tony.”

And Tony could feel his heart plummeted. “Oh.”

“But,” Rhodey went on with a smile. “If you come with me, I can get you started. You can sign up for classes and all. You’re fifteen, so you’re not underage.”

“Really?” Tony looked at him. “You would?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Rhodey asked, confused. “If it’s something you want to do, then yeah.”

“Thanks,” Tony said, trying to inject as much gratitude into the word as possible. “It really means a lot.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Rhodey said. “We haven’t even started.”

And the best part was? Tony turned out to be an outstanding pilot.


End file.
